Grave vault and method of constructing the same



March 13, 1934. E, C. BOEHMIG GRAVE vAULT AND METHOD oF coNsTRUcTING THE SAME Filed Feb. 6. 1953 Patented Mar. 13, 1934 TET FFCE

GRAVE VAULT AND METHOD F CGNSTRU'JTNG THE SAME Edwin Carl Boehmig, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application February 6,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and means for forming grave vaults. Briefly stated, the invention resides in casting a reinforced mixture of sand and cement in place in a grave;

5 the lid being applied after the casket has been placed in position and within the time limit of the setting of the side walls of the vault, the entire mixture being applied under such conditions and in such manner as to render it absolutely impervious to water and moisture.

I am aware of the fact that it has heretofore been proposed to construct grave vaults of cement. However, these have always been constructed in such manner as to be non-resistant to the passage of water or moisture. Ordinarily, cast concrete or cement is not waterproof and since the primary purpose of placing a burial casket in a vault of any nature is to protect it from the quick decay which follows access of moisture thereto, it follows that vaults of ordinary concrete or cement applied in the ordinary manner are absolutely useless so far as affording permanent protection to the casket, is concerned.

I am aware of the fact that metal grave vaults are largely used. However, these are materially more expensive than a vault constructed in accordance with my method and they require that the grave be dug materially larger than is necessary under my method. 30 Further, in the use of metal grave vaults, the base of the vault must be placed in the grave before the casket is lowered but the cover is not placed in position until after the casket is lowered. Consequently, the bare dirt walls of the grave are exposed to the View of sorrowing friends and relatives. Under my method that portion of the grave which actually receives the casket, at the time of burial, presents a neatly finished cement surface; the side walls of the grave above that point being ordinarily covered by the undertakers imitation grass mat, not shown, and which forms no part of the present invention.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing for a better understanding of my method.

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through a grave with the wire mesh reinforcement in position but before the mixture of sand and cement which constitutes the bottom and side walls of the vault, has been put in place.

Figure 2 is a like view after the mixture oi sand and cement has been put in place.

Figure 3 is a like view showing the position of the parts after the casket has been put in the vault and the wire mesh reinforcement of 1.933, Serial No. 655,500

(Cl. Y2-7) the lid has been swung over the top of the casket preparatory to applying the cement to constitute the lid and Figure 4 is a longitudinal section showing the completed vault after the lid has been applied.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawing.

In carrying out my method, the grave is dug in the usual way, as indicated at 5; its side and end walls being under-cut, at 6 and 7, for a distance substantially equal to one-half of the thickness of the finished walls of the vault. A wire mesh reinforcing web is then placed in position, as indicated at 8, and is extended upwardly, as at 9, along one side wall of the grave,

said upwardly extending portion serving, thereafter, as the reinforcing medium of the lid when the latter is shot in place.

Cement spacer blocks, or any other suitable supports 10, serve to hold the wire mesh spaced from the bottom of the grave. The side walls 11, bottom 12 and end walls 13 are then built into place, as indicated in Fig. 2, and the material of which they are formed. differs from the ordinary concrete commonly employed for this purpose in that it consists of a mixture of sand and cement and is applied with a cement gun instead oi being merely poured into place. Cement guns, i. e. machines for the placing of sand and cement with compressed air have come into use in recent years and they apply mixtures of sand and cement to suitable supporting elements, such as the wire mesh described, with such great force and Linder such considerable air pressure as to render the resultant walls absolutely impervious to water or moisture.

After the casket 14 has been put in place,- transverse supporting ribs 15 are laid across the casket and a web of supporting material 16 is placed upon these ribs. The function of this web is to keep the cement of the lid from passing inwardly upon the casket, during the formation of the lid; the lid being applied with the cement gun in the same manner that the sides, bottom and ends are formed, and the lid being applied within the time limit of the setting of the sides and ends so that it bonds with said sides and ends, and the whole structure is caused to constitute a monolith.

The web 16 may be of heavy paper, cardboard, or wire mesh having a paper backing to render it imperforate. This web 16 does not extend over on to the side and end walls but merely snugly approaches the same; it being desirable as will be readily understood, to have no mevil() dium which would tend to prevent the intimate bonding of the material of the lid with the material of the side walls. This in order to assure an absolutely Waterproof construction.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that in three important respects this invention departs from the mere idea of making a grave vault out of concrete, these being as follows:

1. The material used is a densely packing sand and Portland cement mixture adapted to be handled through a machine made especially for such use and lacking the gravel usually yemployed in concrete and consequently lacking many voids which would be likely to be caused by the employment of gravel.

2. The said densely packing sand and cement mixture is applied under air pressure and with great force.

3. The side, end and bottom walls are formed at such time with respect to the time of burial that the lid may be applied Within the time limit of setting of the side Walls so that a true monolith impervious to the entry of water may be created.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth, but that it includes within its purview whatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The herein described method of forming a monolithic grave vault which consists of under cutting the side Walls of a grave, depositing a metallic reinforcing element therein along the bottom and side walls, said reinforcing material being extended upwardly along one side wall of the grave and serving as the reinforcing material for a lid, applying a suflicient mixture of cementitious material under air pressure to said metallic reinforcing member to constitute bottom, side and end Walls, depositing a casket therein, placing a supporting web above and up on said casket, and depositing a sufficient amount of said cementitious material above and upon said Web to constitute a lid, the latter -cementitious material being applied within the time limit of the setting of the cementitious material of the said side walls, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The herein described method of forming 'a monolithic grave vault which consists of under cutting the side walls of a grave to define the dimensions of the vault to be formed, deposit- 'ing a `metallic reinforcing element therein along the bottom and side Walls of the grave, 'said reinforcing element being extended upwardly along one side Wall of the grave, applying a suicient amount of cementitious material consisting of hydraulic cement, sand and Water forcibly under air pressure through and about said `metallic reinforcing member and against the side and bottom and end Walls of the grave to thereby constitute bottom, side and end walls for the grave vault, depositing a casket therein placing a supporting web upon said casket of such dimension as to span the distance between the side Walls and between the end walls but not to cover the upper edges of said walls, bending that portion of the metallic reinforcing element which was extended upwardly along the side Wall of the grave over said web and forcibly impacting by air pressure through said reinforcing element and against said web a suicient amount of a mixture consisting of hydraulic cement, sand and water to constitute a top for the grave vault, said top being applied Within the time limit of setting of the said side and end walls whereby a monolithic structure wholly impervious to Water is produced.

3. The herein described method of forming a monolithic grave vault in place within a grave which consists of forming an excavation in the ground of a suitable size, undercutting the Walls thereof to define the side and end wall dimensions of the vault arranging a wire mesh reinforcing web in said undercut part defining the bottom, sides and ends of the vault, impacting a mixture of hydraulic cement, sand and waterl upon said wire mesh reinforcement forming a monolith constituting the bottom, sides and ends of the completed vault, said mixture being impacted against the grave Walls under such pressure as to render the resultant monolith imperVious to water, the thickness of the walls being such as to completely encompass the wire mesh reinforcement; placing a casket Within the vault so formed before the cement has set; placing a supporting web over said casket, and impacting a mixture of sand, Water and hydraulic cement upon said web under such pressure as to render the same Waterproof and in such quantity as to constitute a top for the grave Vault, the

application of the material of the top being made within the time limit of setting of the side and end walls of the vault, said top being thereby brought into monolithic relation to the side and end Walls.

4. The herein described method of 'constructing burial vaults which consists of shaping the walls of a grave to the desired dimensions, under-cutting the Walls of the grave to define the height of the vault, impacting under air pressure and within the said under-cut part of the walls of the grave, a mixture of sand, water and cement forming the bottom, side and end Walls of the vault, depositing a casket within the partially formed vault, arranging a supporting web above the casket in such manner as to cover :j

EDWIN CARL BOEHMIG. 

